


Stardew Drabbles

by musicaldaydreamer



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Asexual Character, Eventual romance between NPCs, Gen, Intergenerational friendship, Lots of fun with the setting, Magic, Platonic Relationships, Slice of Life, silliness, will add characters as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-24 03:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9699473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicaldaydreamer/pseuds/musicaldaydreamer
Summary: A look at life, friendships and adventures in Stardew Valley, through the eyes of new farmer Nadia.





	1. Successful Harvest

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, Nadia moves to the farm in Fall instead of Spring. This is a narrative choice and absolutely not because the writer hasn't played a new save file in ages and somehow forgot!

The first rays of sun were in Nadia's eyes as she crouched down at the pond's edge. The water felt icy on her hands, and she wondered again if her mother's claims that winter came late to the Valley were perhaps misremembered slightly. When the dented copper watering can was finally filled, she hastily set it down and wiped her hands on her jeans. 

  
She had only been living at Oroberry Farm for about a week now, but Nadia was surprised with how easily she was learning the rhythm of farm work. It was true that she only had one kind of crop growing- the salesman in town had told her yams were a good choice for beginners- but so far she hadn't forgotten to water them once, and several were already sprouting soft green leaves above the earth. She smiled as she watered them, pausing at one at the edge that had grown a bit larger than the ones around it. What was it that she'd read about plants choking each other out? Did yams do that? She finished watering the remaining yam sprouts and, checking once more over the little plot, set her watering can on the front deck as she went back inside.

"Yams, yams..." Nadia muttered, flipping through the book on agriculture that had been her parents' goodbye present to her. Finding the right page, she studied it intently. "Yams grow best in sandy soil. They spread easily..." She started skimming at that point, until her eyes fell on a picture captioned "Mature sweet potato plant".

  
Racing outside with the book in her hand, she made a beeline for the large sprout and knelt beside it. Her eyes lit up as she looked first at the plant, then at the book, and saw that the pictures matched. Setting the book on the ground, she gently began to dig around the edges of the plant, gripped the stalk, and pulled. 

  
Out of the ground popped a small, filthy potato.

  
Nadia's face lit up. She set the dirty yam on the book, cleared the sand away from the page with the picture, and set about to see if any more were ready.


	2. Unlikely Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nadia has a strange encounter on her way home from a fishing trip.

"Hello?"

Through the foliage, Nadia could see the purple-clad figure stop and turn.   
"Yes?" he said impatiently.

"Are you the one who lives in that tower?"

The man stepped around the bushes and studied her. "I saw you yesterday. What were you doing poking around my house?"

Nadia shrugged. "I just moved in up the hill. I wanted to introduce myself to my new neighbors. But I thought no one was home." She thrust out the hand not holding her fishing tackle. "I'm Nadia. Nice to meet you."

He stared at it and raised an eyebrow. "...Rasmodius." He shook her hand briefly. "Good to meet you, as well."

Nadia smiled. "Well, I'm just up the way if you're ever in the neighborhood!" She jerked her head in the vague direction of the farm.

"Mm. I'm often busy," Rasmodius said. "Perhaps I'll make it to the fair."

 

Except of course this aloofness was ruined when, mere days later, she got a letter in her mailbox instructing her to come and discuss the strange creatures in the community center. Somehow, in the midst of the day's events, learning that the strange purple-haired man in the tower was in fact a wizard fell fairly easily into Nadia's mind.

Still, her curiosity about the little spirits was piqued, and she found herself fairly habitually stopping by the tower to ask about something she'd found in the community center, sometimes bringing along some mushooms she found in the woods. By the time of the fair, Rasmodius was used to her company enough that he gave her a friendly wave as she passed by. And Nadia thought that it was good for him to get out and around people more.

And without either really intending it, an unlikely friendship was born.


	3. Rainy Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's so short.

The downpour started suddenly.

One minute Nadia was foraging for nuts and berries for salad, and the next, she was running for cover. It was a cold Fall rain, the kind that made you feel like your very bones were chilled, and Nadia hadn't bothered to bring an umbrella. Now that it was raining, she realized she wasn't even sure she _owned_ one anymore. And there were no buildings nearby... Unless you counted that mine...

Nadia hesitated for only a moment. Sure, she'd heard it was dangerous in there, but how bad could it be if she stood just inside the door to wait out the storm? She gathered her pail and bolted inside.

Once out of the rain, Nadia set down her pail and investigated the cavern. It was surprisingly clean and airy inside, albeit chilly, and larger than she'd expected. She found what looked to be an old elevator- she didn't check to see if it worked or not- and gave a hole in the floor a wide berth. But beyond those, the old mine really seemed quite empty and, after the drenching she'd gotten, almost comfortable. Idly, she munched on a blackberry and wondered what had been mined here, and why it had been abandoned. The mayor had said it was "overrun with monsters", but Nadia figured he must have meant vermin. Much as she was growing to like Pelican Town's mayor, he did seem to be a bit skittish.

(A small voice in Nadia's head reminded her that she hadn't known Junimos existed either until recently. She ignored it.) 

The rain was as brief as it was violent, and before an hour was gone Nadia saw the torrent die down to a steady but faint drizzle- certainly faint enough that she could get home. With one last look at the mine, Nadia made a note to ask more about it when she was in town next, and set out into the gray afternoon.


	4. Night at the Saloon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quiet night with some friends.

The Stardrop Saloon was never lacking in customers, but there were never more than on a Saturday, particularly in midwinter. Nadia was lounging on the sofa while Sam and Sebastian played pool, but Sam's disappointed exclamations did nothing to drown out the din from the other end of the saloon. She heard singing- apparently someone had got Pam doing karaoke again- and the indistinct rumble of several conversations all competing to be heard above the din. It was loud, but fairly enjoyable nonetheless. And watching the pool game was entertaining, even if it was a bit one-sided.  
Nadia went to take a drink, but noticed in dismay that she was all out. Ah, well. With a grunt she swung herself off the couch and went to buy a new drink.

  
Before she got there, however, she spotted Abigail, focused intently on the only working arcade machine. Nadia stopped quietly and watched.

A few minutes passed before Abigail noticed. She hit the pause button and turned. “Need something?” she asked.

 

Nadia shook her head. “No, I was just impressed. I always die on level one. How far in are you?”

 

Abigail grinned. “Almost done with level 8. But I kind of have practice. I have the game at home.”

 

“Whoa, really? That's so cool!” Nadia said. “Have you gotten to the end on that one?”

 

“Yeah, a few times,” Abigail admitted. “But it's still nice to try and beat my high score. And I kind of have a competition with Shane on this one. I don't think he knows I'm the one that keeps beating his scores.”

 

Nadia laughed. “Shane, really? Never had him pegged for a gamer.”  
  
  
“I know, right? But Gus swears it's him.” Abigail's glance darted over to Sam and Sebastian. “Seb still kicking Sam's butt?”

 

“Yep,” Nadia chuckled. “It's weird, though. Sam doesn't seem to get too upset.”

 

“Oh, he doesn't mind,” Abigail said. “I mean, he keeps trying, but I think he just likes the company.”

 

“Yeah, I get that,” Nadia murmured. “It's nice here.”  
  


“It is.”   
  
  
Nadia grinned. “So, mind if I watch a bit more? I'd like to see how you actually win this game.”

“Well, with any luck!” Abigail laughed, and unpaused the game.

 


	5. Flower Dance

The warmest morning of the spring dawned, and with it, Pelican Town's annual Flower Dance.  
The flowers were beautiful, Nadia thought. She'd never seen so many kinds in one place. The scents mingled in the breeze with Evelyn's fresh cookies, and while it was a little overwhelming, she could tune it out in favor of focusing on how lovely everything was.

It was strange. She'd been in Stardew Valley for two seasons already, but she'd never seen her neighbours so dressed up. Everyone looked wonderful. George was wearing a bowtie, Penny had on a soft white dress, and even Shane had found time to shave and fix his hair. Nadia kept awkwardly fidgeting with her hair; she hadn't expected things to be this formal, and she hadn't had time after weeding and watering to change. The only one to remark on it had been Mayor Lewis, and he'd told her, laughing, that her grandfather had come to his first Dance in a similar state. That did make Nadia feel better, although from the stories he'd told, she was surprised he hadn't attended even more events that way.

It was around eleven when the dancing started. Glad to be a bit less conspicuous, Nadia scooted immediately to the food table and watched the dancers. It really was amazing how graceful everyone looked, graceful and happy. Robin and Demetrius twirled around the field. Marnie and Shane took turns dancing with little Jas, and Nadia grinned as Vincent dragged Penny out to dance with the rest. Even Sam, Sebastian and Abigail were dancing- although clearly goofing off, as their laughter was audible even from where Nadia was standing.

At one point the music stopped, and the sound of Mayor Lewis' voice came scratchy through his megaphone. "And now, the Flower Dance."  
Nadia was confused, but stood watching as nearly everyone cleared off the field. Only around a dozen people remained, and those who did began to form lines.  
"Hey, why aren't you out there?" asked Lewis, nudging her shoulder.  
"I'm not dressed for it... What is this?" she asked, gesturing. Every young adult in Pelican Town had arranged themselves neatly into lines- boys on one side, girls on the other. Even from Nadia's place, she could tell some of them looked nervous. "A show?"  
Lewis frowned and shook his head. "Just watch."  
Nadia did. She watched as the boys bowed and the girls curtsied, and watched as they began a regal sort of line dance, music starting up again. It was a very pretty sight, but Nadia still didn't understand why most of the town had stopped dancing, and told Lewis so once the dance had concluded.

"It's a partner dance," he explained. "All Pelican Town's eligible singles go for it, in the hopes that love might blossom." He grinned and scratched his head. "It's a longstanding tradition around here. Everyone's been up there at some time or another. Even me, although it's been a long time."  
"Oh! Well, it's beautiful," Nadia smiled.  
"It is, isn't it," Lewis agreed. "Hey, if you got your eye on anyone, today's the best day to tell 'em. Legend says today's lucky for love."  
Nadia laughed, reddening a little. "Thanks for explaining, Mayor Lewis. Everything's really lovely." She waved and hurried away, with Lewis staring and grinning after her.

Once she'd gotten lost in the crowd, it was easy for Nadia to slip away through the forest and toward the farm. She was glad to be out of sight, both because of her dirty jeans and because she was now completely mortified. As she climbed the stairs onto the porch, all she could think was " _please_ Mayor Lewis don't start grilling me about dating now!"


	6. Marnie Brings a Pet

"This is my best harvest yet," Nadia remarked aloud, staring with mild disbelief at the vast red pile in her basket. There had been so many strawberries that she'd had to balance them precariously on the edges of her basket. Hoping she could walk back to the house without spilling any, she began taking careful steps through the rows of plants and toward the house

She only got about ten feet before she heard something unusual. Someone shouted "No!" and Nadia quickly looked around. Whoever jt was sounded quite nearby.  
Seconds later, Nadia felt something against her ankle, and before she could steady herself, tripped and went flying face-first toward the ground. The result was that Nadia landed, on her chest, directly in the tulip patch, and strawberries flew everywhere.

There was another shout and Nadia finally saw the source, a distressed Marnie running toward her. "Are you all right? Oh, I'm so sorry!"  
"It's okay!" Nadia stood hurriedly, trying not to look at the crushed flowers. "It wasn't you, I tripped."   
"Yes, and it was that one's fault." Marnie pointed and Nadia followed her gaze to a small orange cat, licking eagerly at one of the fallen strawberries. "I'm sorry, Miss Nadia, I tried to keep hold of her, but she would run off."  
"Oh, are you all right?" Berries forgotten, Nadia crouched down and held her hand out to the creature. The cat didn't notice at first, so absorbed in the strawberry she was eating, but after she caught sight of Nadia's outstretched hand, she sniffed it and then immediately rubbed her head against it. Nadia grinned. "Careful, little one, I think I got mud on those hands."

Marnie stooped over and began picking up fallen berries and putting them back in Nadia's basket. "I'm sure she's all right, she got out of the way before you went down."  
"What's her name?" Nadia wanted to know, picking up berries with the hand that wasn't petting the cat.   
"Well- If you'd like to name her, you're quite welcome," Marnie said. "To be honest, she's been lurking around my barn, and I didn't know if you could use a farmcat. I know Alan used to mention mice."   
"Really?" Nadia looked up at Marnie. "I always had cats growing up, I just love them- but I haven't seen any mice," she admitted.   
Marnie broke into a smile. "Then it sounds like you're perfect for each other. Oh, but it's too bad you had to meet like this."  
Nadia scritched the cat under her chin. "Hey, she didn't mean to. I probably scared her anyway."   
Marnie looked at the cat, whose expression could only be described as blissful, and gave a slight laugh. "Somehow, I think she forgives you."

 

The cat managed to eat two more strawberries by the time Marnie and Nadia got them all picked up.


	7. First Animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nadia finds a strange rock in the mountains, and it draws the curiosity of Marnie and Gunther.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the huge gap between updates! I've been working on this one, though, and I hope you have as much fun with it as I have!

When Nadia had first gone to the library and met with Gunther, he'd told her that the collection was lacking, and she'd quietly filed it away in "things to look into when I have a bit more time". That had been just after she arrived in town, and as it turned out, Nadia had never had enough time. There were always crops to tend, and people who needed help with errands, and eventually little Lily to take care of. There was also the community center, which had almost immediately become Nadia's favourite project. She loved the sunny old building filled with secrets, and whenever she could find the time she took off into the countryside, hunting for plants and wildflowers for the Junimos. 

It was on one such outing when Nadia found something odd. It was only partially exposed, mostly hidden under the patch of sweetpea flowers she had stopped to pick from.  
At first, she simply thought it was an extremely smooth rock, and that it might look nice on her porch. But as she unearthed it- displacing most of the flowers, which she ended up making into a bouquet- Nadia remembered the museum. Which is why, an hour and a half later, she plodded into the library, tracking in nearly enough mud to make a garden for all the flowers she was carrying.

The first thing that happened was that Gunther jumped up. Marnie, who had been talking to him, turned around.  
"...Good afternoon, Nadia, could you possibly leave those outside?" he managed. 

"Sorry," she told him. "But I think I have something for you. Look here." 

She set the large oval on the counter. To Nadia's credit, she had at least thought to rinse it off in the river; perhaps this was why Gunther made no further comments about the mud or flowers, but examined it curiously along with Marnie.

"That's an egg," Marnie told them unnecessarily. "But if it isn't the biggest egg I've ever seen!"

"It appears fossilized," Gunther piped in. "Look how hard the shell is, and how rough. Where did you say you found this?"

"Up by the mountains," Nadia gestured in the general direction, and Gunther winced as a leaf and some soil fell from her hand. "Not too far from Robin and Demetrius' place. But buried, by these."

"Nicely done," Gunther said quietly. "This will make a nice addition to our-"

"Hold on! I don't know about this. What if it hatches?" Marnie put her hand on it. 

"My dear Marnie, look at it. It's clearly thousands of years old! The only thing this egg will hatch into is more visitors for our museum." 

"Look, it doesn't feel dead to me! It isn't solid. It may need help!"

"Marnie, it's a fossil, it isn't going to hatch!"

"And you'd have a nice surprise if it did, right on your table!" 

"Guys!" Nadia burst. "Okay, what if Marnie took it for a bit, just to check it out, and if it's just a rock we can bring it back?"

"I could do that!" Marnie brightened. "I can try it in the incubator." 

"This is ridiculous. It was buried, it's stone, _it's a fossil_. I bet I can find the book identifying it." 

"Maybe," Nadia said. "Actually, that'd be useful. It just can't hurt to wait for a bit, can it? Marnie's really good with animals, maybe she knows." 

Marnie smiled warmly at her. Gunther shook his head. "Fine, be my guest. But please do bring it back when nothing happens, all right? It's the first new thing our museum has had in ages." 

Nadia heard the twinge in his voice and nodded. "Sure. And hey, I'll try and keep my eye out for more stuff. There's all kinds of weird things in the mountains." 

Gunther straightened. "Thank you, Nadia, that would be helpful." He nodded at the door. "And please, wipe your boots next time." 

"Sorry!"

\----

"So what makes you so sure it's still alive?" Nadia asked curiously as she and Marnie walked. 

"I'm not sure, Nadia, but I just don't think it's right not to give it a chance!" 

Nadia smiled. "That's true. Any idea what it is?"

"...Well, no," Marnie admitted. "But from the sound of it, Mr. Gunther's going to try and look it up." 

"Oh! I could get Mr. Rasmodius to come look, if you like!" 

"Rasmodius... No, no, I'm sure it's fine. He must be busy," Marnie shook her head. "I haven't seen him out and about since harvest."

"Yeah, he's got a lot going on," Nadia admitted. "But I'll check back with Gunther soon to see if he's found the book." 

\----

Gunther had not found the book, either the next day or three days after that, and when Marnie didn't mention anything about the egg Nadia let it slip to the back of her mind. She tended her plants, went on some excursions to the countryside with Lily, and found all the spiceberries that the Junimos had asked for. When she remembered the egg a week later, Nadia assumed Marnie had given it back to Gunther, and thought no more about it. 

Until she woke up one morning to a very loud _scream_. 

She was out the door before she was really awake, bare feet slipping on the dewy grass. The scream had faded off, but it was loud enough- and high enough- that it could only have come from the house nearest Nadia's. She said a very impolite word when she stubbed her toe against a rock, but kept running. When she got within sight of Marnie's house she saw Leah, running up as well. 

The house door was locked, but the barn door opened easily, and inside, the reason for the scream was readily apparent. Marnie was standing by the other door holding a shovel, the chickens were all huddling in the corner, and in the center of the barn was the largest- and strangest looking- lizard Nadia had ever seen. It was chomping on hay and completely ignoring them. 

"How did it get in?" Leah asked, edging against the wall. 

"It was the egg!" Marnie squealed. 

"What?" Nadia squeaked, slightly more quietly. 

"Nadia found an egg in the mountains and I wanted to try and hatch it!" Marnie explained to Leah, still in a hi0gh-pitched voice. "I thought it might be a bird, or maybe a turtle, not-"

"Aunt Marnie? What- whoa," Shane trailed off, peeking into the barn. "What's that?" 

"A really big lizard," Leah explained. "Do you know where there's a cardboard box?" 

"I'll check," Shane said, dashing back into the house. 

The creature looked up and around at them. It really was quite funny-looking, with the floppy pale frills on its head and the soft, scaly tail. It examined them all curiously, then took a step toward the closest person, Marnie.  
Marnie gripped the shovel tighter but held her ground. The lizard took a few more wobbly steps toward her, stopped, and burped.  
The sound was louder than a newborn's burp had any right to be, but it broke the tension. Marnie's eyes twinkled, and then she started to laugh.

"You found that thing in the mountains? Are you sure it wasn't something of Demetrius'?" Leah asked, watching it.

"I don't know, I don't think so. It was under a patch of flowers. We can ask him?" 

"Maybe after we've gotten this guy contained," Marnie suggested. "I don't want anything happening to my girls." She nodded toward the chickens in the corner.

Peesently Shane returned, not with a cardboard box but an empty wooden crate that had probably once transported a pig. "Here, let me get it." The lizard looked up curiously as Shane approached, cocking its head to one side. Nadia let out a giggle as Shane crept up to it, holding the crate above his head. By the time the little creature realized what was happening, it was too late. Shane brought the crate down on top of it, and there was a small squeak as the creature tried to outrun it but failed, bumping into the side of the box. 

"Thanks, Shane," Marnie smiled with relief at her nephew. 

"'Kay. I'm off to work. Don't let it out," he nodded at Leah and Nadia. And then he was gone.

Marnie bent down to look at the creature through the holes in the box. "It is kind of cute," she conceded. "But it must've been put there. I've never heard of lizards in Pelican Town before, much less ones this size."

Leah and Nadia went to look too. The lizard was laying inside, squirming a bit to make itself comfortable. Nadia had to agree that for all its strangeness, it was indeed cute. 

"Do you need more help with it?" Leah asked. Marnie thought, then shook her head. 

"No, that's fine, thank you. I think I'll try getting it a drink. Not unless one of you felt like going up and asking Demetrius if he had a lizard egg hidden up there, but I know it's a long hike, and Robin stops by here every so often anyway." 

"I'll go," Nadia volunteered. "And maybe stop by Gunther's on the way back."

"Oh, you need Gunther? I can go over there, no problem," Leah waved. "I need to drop off a book anyway." 

Marnie smiled warmly. "Thank you, girls, I appreciate it. Gunther's still sleeping, I bet, so you might want to wait a bit, would you like some breakfast? You too, Nadia, and don't you even think of going up there without getting some shoes on! Oh, dear, and you're bleeding..." 

"I'm okay, but thank you," Leah replied, looking at Nadia just as Nadia looked down.

 _Oh._ There was blood on her big toe, exactly where she'd tripped. "Oh, yeah, there was a rock," she said, by way of explanation. 

"That settles it. Stay right here, I'll get a bandage..." Marnie waved, already hurrying into the house.  
So Nadia was forced to stay put while Marnie doctored her toe, washing it and putting three bandages on it. Nadia was sure one would have sufficed, but there was no stopping Marnie once she got started. Leah stayed, catching Nadia's eye occasionally and grinning, but mostly watching the lizard in the box, who had fallen fast asleep. 

"And don't you worry about going up to Demetrius now, I'll run up myself after the animals are all fed-" Marnie began once Nadia's toe was bandaged. 

"Marnie, it's okay, I'm fine," Nadia grinned. "I'll go home, get dressed, and take the road behind the farmhouse. It won't take long at all." 

"That road's still there?" Marnie asked. "It must be ten years since anyone's used it. Well, all right, but be careful." 

"I will," Nadia smiled. "Thanks. Better get this guy some water." 

"Oh, and I should get my book to Gunther." With a final wave to Nadia, Leah headed to the door. "I'll be sure to send him over, Marnie." 

Nadia left as well, before Marnie could fuss more, and made her way carefully home. Lily was pawing at the door, and Nadia fed her before getting dressed and throwing on some shoes.  
The walk was indeed short, shorter than Nadia had expected. She never came this way, preferring to go around through town, but the old roadway was definitely quicker.

"Hi, Nadia," Robin said, after Nadia had knocked on the door. "Come on in. Haven't seen you in a while!"

"I know, farm life is busy." She chuckled. "Is Demetrius around? I need to ask him a question." 

"I think so. Have a seat, I'll check." Nadia did as she was told, and a few minutes later Robin returned, Demetrius in tow.

"Morning, Nadia, what did you need?"

"Did you have or leave a big lizard egg anywhere around here?" 

It was plain from the confusion on his and Robin's faces that he had not, but Nadia explained more anyway. When she had finished, Demetrius scratched his head.  
"Never heard of lizards around here. I'd like to take a look, though. Maybe I'll come down after Maru gets home." Demetrius looked fascinated. Robin looked amused.

"We might all stop by. It sounds interesting." She shot a quick glance at the stairs, and Nadia nodded. 

"Sounds good! I'll let Marnie know." 

"Thanks, Nadia. And don't be a stranger!" 

 

Nadia took the back road home again, remembering that she hadn't yet watered her crops and figuring that she should do that before the full heat of the day set in. When she arrived, Lily was rolling around in the dust, and Nadia refilled her watering can before pouring a little in the cat's dish and heading off to water her plants.  
An hour later she had finished, and with no other plans for the day she decided to make her way back to Marnie's to check in. 

The barn door was open this time, so Nadia wandered in. The lizard was nowhere to be found. She looked around for bits of broken wood, wondering if it had broken its box, but it too was gone.

"Oh, hi, Miss Nadia. The baby's out back, come with me. Any word from Demetrius?" Marnie poked her head into the barn from the house. As Nadia wiped her feet, she shook her head.

"No, sorry, he's got no idea. They said they might come down later, though."

"It's so strange! Well, I still haven't heard from Gunther, so maybe he'll know. Gosh, Nadia, I had quite a time this morning! The cows were afraid to come out of their stalls, so I had to move it, but I just don't know what to do!"  
They had arrived at a small enclosure Marnie had set up with spare troughs, water buckets and a few large pieces of firewood. The lizard was wandering around inside, and when it saw them approach it sat down and let out the strangest sound Nadia had ever heard. It was like a cross between a screech and a creak, and reminded her of the wind in her grandpa's old weathervane before she'd finally gotten up and oiled it.  
She jumped.

"Hi, Nadia!" Jas hopped out the door Marnie and Nadia had just used. "Did you see the dragon?" 

"Hey, Jas. Dragon?" Nadia asked, peering at the little lizard. "...Hm." 

Marnie laughed. "I don't think he's a dragon, sweetie, but he is pretty big. Nadia, careful, I don't know if it bites." 

Nadia looked back at the lizard, then shrugged. "Have you found something it eats?" 

"It seems to like hay, thank heavens," Marnie said. "Although if I knew what it was, there might be something better for it. I suppose Gunther must be waiting until the museum closes, but I wish he'd hurry. It's got to be all over town by now." 

"I can go check in with Gunther," Nadia offered.

"He's a dragon," Jas insisted. "Can I come? Penny might be there!" 

"It's okay with me," Nadia began, but Marnie just grinned. 

"No need. Hello, Mr. Gunther! Miss Leah!" 

Nadia turned around. Gunther and Leah were coming into the backyard, Gunther with an elegant blue bookbag that matched his hat perfectly. She waved to them, and Leah waved back while Gunther spared a nod.  
"Afternoon. Is that what came out of the egg?" When Marnie nodded, Gunther squatted down and began looking through his books. 

"There aren't many varieties of lizards here in the Republic. A few species live up around Calico, but they're brown or purple, here." Gunther held out a nature book opened to a page with several illustrations of lizards on it. Leah, Marnie and Nadia crowded around to look, and even Jas peeked up at it. "The only green lizards here are way out in the Fern Islands." 

"Could it be a dragon?" Nadia asked, looking back at the lizard. Jas beamed. Gunther raised an eyebrow.

"Dragons have been-" he caught sight of Jas' face and paused- " _scarce_ for at least two millennia, Nadia," he said patiently. "I expect that egg was brought back from someone's vacation in the islands. If it was up by the train station, they might have left it behind." 

"That'd make sense," Leah agreed. 

Marnie nodded her assent. "But what are we going to do with it? It's not meant for this climate! Oh, I wonder if Norrie'd have any ideas, I should write to her..." 

The lizard screeched again, and this time it was Gunther's turn to jump. "Ahem. Well, thank you, Leah. Marnie, I apologize for, ah, jumping to conclusions a few days ago. That egg looked very similar to a fossil that was stolen from our museum some time back. I made a mistake." 

Marnie put a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Gunther, that was horrible for all of us. I hope they track it all down." 

"I appreciate it, but it's been three seasons now. All we can do is rebuild." He nodded at the women. "Speaking of which, I should be heading back. Again, thank you, Leah." 

"No problem," Leah waved as he left. Looking at the lizard, she smiled. "Hey, Marnie, do you mind if I sculpt him sometime?" 

"I don't mind, but I need to get in touch with my sister. I love animals, but I'm just not prepared for this! Maybe we can get him a ride back to the Fern Isles before it gets too cold for him..." 

Nadia listened while Leah and Marnie discussed the pros and cons of moving the lizard. Jas tugged on Nadia's sleeve, and when Nadia looked down, Jas whispered, "I still say he's a dragon." 

Nadia grinned. "Could be, Jas. He's certainly big enough." 

It wasn't long before Nadia thought she'd better go home, and bade Marnie, Jas, Leah and the just-returning Shane goodbye. She'd barely made it ten steps down the road when a familiar voice called her name. When she saw the purple-hatted figure waving her over to the house on the hill, she smiled and hurried over. 

"Afternoon, Mr. Rasmodius," she said once she reached the top of the hill. "I was hoping to talk to you." 

"Indeed. Would it have anything to do with the strange noises I've been hearing all day?" 

"Is it that loud?"

"Only from outside. What _is_ it? Not a new cow or chicken, I assume." He waved vaguely toward Marnie's house, and Nadia frowned. 

"We're not sure, actually. I was hoping you would come look." She looked at the darkening sky. "Everyone's still outside, if you wanted to go." 

The wizard gave a noncommittal shrug. "What does it look like?" 

"A very big lizard, mostly. Gunther thinks it's from the Islands, and it might be, but I just thought you should see. In case it's not. The egg was kind of strange." 

"How so?"  
So Nadia went through the story again, explaining about how she'd found it in the mountains and how Gunther had mistaken it for a fossil. The wizard listened with interest, and when Nadia mentioned how they had all tried to catch it he cleared his throat to hide the laugh. 

"Aah, all right. I'll take a look tomorrow, then. That _is_ strange." 

 

The next day, Nadia went about her business more or less as usual. Five more blueberry plants had blossomed. Evelyn sent her a salad recipe in the mail, and Nadia ran into town to buy some spice for it. Lily found a frog in the pond and tried to swat at it, while Nadia sat on a rock and laughed. In fact, she was so focused on the kitten's antics that she failed to notice the visitor approach.

"Good evening," the familiar voice said. Nadia turned around, and her face lit up with suprise. The old wizard was strolling up the path carrying a large blue book.

"Mr. Rasmodius!" She had never known him to visit before. "Everything okay?"

"Hello, Nadia. I went and had a look at that lizard of yours today. Have a look here." He opened the book, which looked extremely old, and held it out to Nadia. 

"That's it!" she exclaimed. The drawing was quite clear, even if the text was complete gibberish to her. "What does this say?" 

"I thought it looked familiar. This is a book on magical reagents found in this land. It's very old- I think it predates the Ferngill Republic by a good bit- and this part here is describing an herb called grunice. You ever hear of it?"

"No," Nadia admitted. 

"It was in that potion you had, for talking with the forest spirits. It's used in all kinds of things. At any rate, this says grunice was a staple in the diet of these _chunasch_. Do you remember anything about dragons?" 

"I *thought* that might be it," Nadia grinned. The wizard smiled faintly as well, but shook his head. 

"Not quite. Chunasch _means_ 'dragon-kin', but it says here they were much smaller, and flightless. But what's interesting is that they've been extinct for just about as long as the dragons have."

"And yet one turned up. Or something like it."

"I know. It's very strange." His calm tone did nothing to disguise the excitement on his face. Nadia did not even bother to try.

"Do you know how it happened?"

"I have ideas, but nothing concrete." The wizard scratched his head through his hat. "I'll look into it. In the meantime, you might want to tell Marnie about grunice. There's not a _lot_ here about chunasch diets here, just that it's omnivorous, but it'll probably need the nutrition from the herb."

"Why don't you tell her?" Nadia asked. "I still don't know what it looks like, or anything."

Rasmodius frowned and shook his head. "I'll point it out to you on the way. I've got too much to do to be making more house calls." He mumbled something about a sewer, and he looked so suddenly grouchy that Nadia didn't press the issue, and instead agreed to tell Marnie about grunice. Gruffly the wizard nodded, and motioned for Nadia to come along the path. Once she had checked that Lily was playing and not following them, she caught up to him.

Nadia was still bubbling with excitement as they walked. "Still, a real dinosaur. That's amazing!"

Rasmodius actually grinned. "You're not wrong there, Nadia. You're certainly not wrong."

 

Grunice, it turned out, was a thin stalky plant Nadia had always taken for a weed. She plucked a piece from the ground and took it with her when the wizard turned for his own house, leaving her with his usual reminder to bring any magical artifacts she found his way. Grinning, she turned off for Marnie's. 

Marnie was quite happy someone seemed to know about the little creature, and while she didn't seem to believe the dinosaur story- the smile she gave Nadia was a knowing one, with a glance at Jas- she was immensely relieved that someone had figured out what it ate. Her relief came with an unexpected request, however, and Nadia began to suspect that this was the real reason the wizard hadn't wanted to come back. 

"Please, Nadia, you know I wouldn't ask, but I just don't have the space here. I can help you get set up!" 

And so, under extremely strange but exciting circumstances, Nadia acquired her first farm animal.


End file.
